Follow Us

Search the Blog

Search for:

By: Natalie Shoemaker, Advancement Coordinator

National S’mores Day is here, and we wouldn’t be a proper Girl Scouts Council if we didn’t at least mention this yummy fireside treat at least several hundred times. We don’t mean to be a bother, really, but the S’more is an exciting (read: delicious) piece of Girl Scout history.

The S’more is a piece of not only Girl Scout culture, but one that’s particularly special to American’s. It’s a fireside tradition passed down from parent to child, and once it was shared with me, I wanted to share it with everyone! The only thing more exciting than having my first S’more was sharing it with some friends from overseas.

A few friends from Iran and India had never heard of S’mores, but once I showed them how to make one, marshmallows, chocolate, and grahmcrackers became a must-have at backyard fires.

Photo Credit: Melly Kay/ Flickr

I remember, for myself, the tradition started at camp—my mother helping me sandwich my roasted (read: burnt) marshmallow between a piece of chocolate and two crackers. I know I was hooked. I’m sure many others were, as well. It’s hard to remember a time when these ingredients weren’t present during a fire.

As it turns out, the origin of this treat is unclear, but it caught on in America like wildfire. There have been reports of the “Some Mores” being made on scouting trips as early as 1925. What has been written about the “Some More” from that time indicates this treat was already popular among Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. From there it must have been adopted among family members and friends of Scouts.

What we do know is a recipe for the “Some More” was published in Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts (on page 71) in 1927. From there, the name went through a few more iterations before being contracted into the name we call it today: S’more.

We want to hear your memories of sharing s’mores with friends and family. If you’d like to tell us, send pictures and info to nshoemaker@gsnypenn.org.